Emergency Operations Plan FAQ

On November 30, 2021, RRC commissioners adopted rules for critical designation of natural gas infrastructure to help protect Texans in energy emergencies. The new rules implement provisions in Texas House Bill 3648 and Senate Bill 3 and define natural gas facilities that would be designated as critical gas suppliers and critical customers.

• Critical gas suppliers include, but are not limited to, gas wells, oil leases that produce gas, natural gas pipeline facilities, underground natural gas storage facilities and saltwater disposal facilities.
• Critical customers, which are a subset of critical gas suppliers, are facilities that require electricity to operate. These operators submit critical customer information to their electric utilities so that their electric utilities have the correct information for purposes of supplying power to the facilities.

Operators are required to submit an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) because they operate at least one or more facilities that: (1) produce, treat, process, pressurize, store, or transport natural gas; and (2) are, or will, be included on the Texas Electricity Supply Chain Security and Mapping Committee map, which had its first iteration adopted on April 29, 2022.

This rule applies to you if you received from the RRC the notification letter dated May 23, 2022.

• The notification letter provides guidance on what should be included in an EOP.
• The RRC will not provide an EOP template; operators may structure their EOP to meet their particular needs.

If you believe you are subject to the rule and did not receive the notification letter, please contact RRC’s Critical Infrastructure Division unit at 512-463-6737 or by email at CID@rrc.texas.gov.